Used BRZ or RX8
 

Ok, so I just got laid off, but have a new job. So I will be banking a good severance package. Some of that will go to a future Cayman 981 purchase. But I have been going back and forth between PDK or manual. Main reason for PDK is my wife likes the car and wants to drive, but can’t drive stick.

So I thought I always wanted an RX8 but mpg and maintenance/reliability kept me from getting one for DD. So I thought I purchase a used manual car to teach her, plus I get to drive an RX8 for a bit, probably teach my daughter as well and then sell. My concern is spending between 5-10k for an RX8 and the engine blowing and then really taking a bath. Or do I just spend more and get a used BRZ/86 in manual and do the same thing.

Either car will be sold when they can competently drive MT or the clutch goes.😀

All opinions appreciated.

test drive both, buy the one you like more
/thread

True, but own a BRZ but it’s my DD for a long commute and AT and I love it. But always wanted an RX8.

Sound like a BRZ would be a better bet. It would be much less of a gamble than an RX8.
On the other hand, it might be that you can pick up any cheap manual car for this role, and get your 981 that much sooner.

The 981 is about two years away. My wife will likely need a new job soon (COVID sucks) and my daughter needs to decide which college. If she decides state college maybe sooner.

So what ever I get to teach will be this spring.

Before I bought the 86 my car was an '05 RX8. Heaps of issues, cost me quite a lot. Did I love every second of it? Yep. Would I do it again? Probably not.

Engine blowing isn't quite as big an issue as it is made out to be, but my fuel would run around 20L/100kms on average. It's a rewarding car to drive, teaches you a lot, but then so is/does the 86.

Any savings you make by buying a cheaper RX8 (vs 86/BRZ) will be eaten up in fuel and misc other stuff. Drive both, and make whatever choice feels right - in a lot of ways these cars are incredibly similar.

RX-8 is cool car for sure! I almost bought one, but got an S2000 instead. I do not think I made a mistake although I think I have tinnitus from DD/commuting the S2k with all the wind noise...

If you get the RX-8, just bear in mind that there is a much greater likelihood of the engine expiring. The FT86 has similar driving dynamics, is quite a bit lighter-weight, and will get nearly 50% better fuel mileage, won't burn oil, similar acceleration performance, BRZ with leather/alcantara interior is about as "nice" as RX-8 interior, never gonna "flood" on you, will generally be less prone to bad or inconvenient drama.

FT86 seems to be the obvious choice.

But if you find a good deal on a good RX-8 that speaks to you and can handle potential issues including car possibly going out of commission for a while, feel free to give it a try!

If you are fine with the upkeep on RX8 then it can work. Checking the oil at every fuel stop etc.
And you'll be fueling up a lot.

I cross shopped them 8 years ago. Now, I always see clean looking RX8 for sale for $2k. But, when I read the ad, they all have blown engine with under 100k.

Pass

It's every other fuel stop.

Which, Subaru says burning one quart every 1k miles is fine on an 86 so you should be checking oil every third fuel stop on an 86 anyway.

It's fine but it's certainly not typical... I've only occasionally had to add maybe 1/2-quart between changes at 5000mile intervals, with track days thrown in.

If you buy an RX8 with a blown engine and rebuild it, I feel like you have a pretty good chance of coming out ahead (lower capital outlay, less sales tax, probably less insurance since it's a worthless car) if it's not driven a lot. I was just shopping for beaters (got my Infinti G35 at the end), and I was honestly very tempted by the RX8..it's a lot of performance for 3000 bucks.

If it's going to be driven a lot of miles, newer car with pistons not triangles seems like a smarter idea lol.

There was another thread not long ago, someone considering the same thing, BRZ vs RX8:

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142559

I owned a couple of RX8's for about 10 years, and posted my thoughts and experiences in that thread.

Good luck, but I think as @strat61caster said, drive both and buy the one you like more.

The RX8 is a wonderful driving car in my opinion. The chassis is downright sublime and I feel it's the best chassis Mazda ever made. This is coming from someone who owned two modded NA/NB for five years before getting an FR-S.

That said, I always felt myself being disappointed by the fact that it has a rotary. It guzzles gas, but maybe that's not a huge concern for most. They're quirky engines and the Renesis in particular is known to have major issues around 80k or so(apex seals, coolant seals, side seals). My friend's R3 had coolant in the oil at around 40k. He replaced the engine with a known good one and got rid of the car for an S2k.
While FA20s have failed on people, I get the sense that it isn't a guaranteed thing like it is with many rotaries, ie the chances of getting 100k+ miles on an FA without major engine repairs needed are substantially higher. Even my rotary friends typically agree with me on that.